A Crotchety Old Man and Social Issues

Everyone should read. Its values are boundless -- escapism, realism, history, social issues, humor, romantic interludes, focus, relaxation -- all can be realized and better understood by picking up a good book. It can't be just any book, though. It has to be a book that expertly disguises what it is really doing. That book is A Man Called Ove.

Every day should include a hammock and a good book. / Photo by Deborah Lynch

It’s summer reading time, which means I am finally getting around to reading books I got for Christmas. The first one on my list promises to be “warm, funny … unbearably moving,” and it most definitely is. A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman, however, is so much more. It is keen observations of present diversity issues by a writer from a country that used to be the stereotype of the blond-haired, blue-eyed ideal. That Sweden is becoming much more culturally diverse in recent years because of its liberal immigration policies and recent acceptance of refugees from war-torn countries like Syria, and before that Afghanistan and Iran, has led to some culture clashes throughout the country. That creates the need for a talented writer to address contentious issues affecting countries around the world with humor and a storyline that disguise and make the the real issues more palatable. The world of summer reading needs more books like this that address serious social changes in a non-threatening and humorous way.The book, based in Sweden, has one main character, Ove, recently widowed, and now recently jobless. He lives by rules and routine. Nothing should be out of place – ever. No exceptions can be made to rules. He lied only twice in his life. He talks to no one unless he absolutely has to, except his adored dead wife. He seems like the grumpy old man that no one wants as a neighbor – and is until one unlikely neighbor breaks his resolve. She achieves this after her husband breaks the biggest of rules – driving a vehicle (a trailer no less) into the residential area that is clearly posted “No cars allowed” and hits Ove’s mailbox. Ove is so perturbed that he orders the man out of the trailer, which he promptly parks correctly. The driver’s wife, a very pregnant immigrant from Iran, has a Brit’s way of shrugging things off and forcing Ove to move on. She continues this throughout the story showing both quick wit, intelligence, and determination. Primarily she shows heart. She sees her bitter old neighbor and recognizes the source of that bitterness. Then, she proceeds to chip away.

Sample chapter titles:

• "A Man Called Ove and A Cat That Was Broken When He Came" 
• "A Man Called Ove and A Brat Who Paints in Colour"
• "A Man Called Ove and A Lanky One Who Can't Open A Window Without Falling Off A Ladder"

The story goes back and forth in time to show the consistency of Ove’s character. Each chapter is brief. Backman doesn’t embellish with flowery adjectives, but instead allows simple sentences to show why Ove is who he is. It’s an easy book to read forever, or to read in short bursts.Intertwined with Ove’s story is the story of other minor characters with their many flaws, including a former poor student stuck in the troubled kids class who wants to fix a bicycle to impress a girl; a gay Middle Eastern boy who is afraid to let his father know the truth because of his culture’s views on homosexuality; an overweight and overeager man who was abandoned by a father; an aging wife fighting the state to keep her Alzheimer’s inflicted husband at home; the Iranian neighbor married to a Swede; and men in white shirts. Backman deftly addresses timely cultural and social issues through these characters.

More titles:

• "A Man Called Ove and A Bicycle That Should Have Been Left Where Bicycles Are Left"
• "A Man Called Ove and A Bender"
• "A Man Called Ove and A Society Without Him"

Ove represents the rigidity of the past, but Backman’s stories allow Ove to slowly and unwittingly begin to escape that past until Ove becomes a champion of all of the characters in ways that the reader would never suspect. In fact, most readers would probably finish the book without realizing just how much the author accomplished in addressing the issues that show up in every election debate. Backman should be required reading for all presidential candidates.I’m almost sad that I started my summer reading with this book because I’m not sure I’ll find another to live up to it this summer. The good news is that Backman followed this book with My Grandmother Sends Her Regards & Apologises,” which I bought a few weeks ago for my daughter. I’ll have that to look forward to when I go to visit her again. In the meantime, do you know about BookBub? Check it out.